A Very Local East London Diary

January 24, 2016

The flavour of Ten Ten

Havana's cafe at 207 Lower Clapton Road was a long time closed and much missed, in my household at least. Finally, last autumn, it reopened as Ten Ten. The owners, who also run Dom's Place a few doors down, are the same but it is now a very different cup of tea.

The big telly has gone and so has the old menu, which was basically traditional English cafe fare with a few Turkish options too. The new one is more what some might call "new Clapton" and the premises is now licensed to sell alcohol. The refurbished interior, like the atmosphere as a whole, is quieter and there are now comfy window seats as well. As you'll see from the photo above the customers include truly lovely people, some with fabulous big hair, some with almost none.

When I went in the other day I tried their beef burger (with cheese, caramelised onions, tomatoes, lettuce and pickle in a rinkof brioche, to give it its full title) with a side salad and some fries. I'm pleased to report that it was delicious. These are still early days for Ten Ten and no doubt it will take a while for it and its potential punters to find each other. I recommend you give it a try.